AQA GCSE English Literature key terms

Knowledge of everything. The Inspector’s apparently extraordinary knowledge can suggest omniscience, although this is an interpretation of his character.

The prolonged, unjust treatment or control of people by those with power.

A person or authority believed to communicate prophetic knowledge.

A skilled public speaker, especially one who can persuade listeners.

A child whose parents have both died. Jane’s orphanhood leaves her dependent on relatives for a home and protection.

The exclusion of a person from a group or community.

A character whose ambition pushes beyond human or moral limits, bringing destructive consequences.

A combination of apparently contradictory words, such as “warm ice”.

A cloth placed over a coffin; the word can also describe a dark covering of cloud or smoke.

A story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson through its characters and events.

John Milton’s epic poem, first published in 1667, about Satan’s rebellion and the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve.

A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a meaningful truth.

The use of similar grammatical patterns in related phrases or clauses, which can emphasise a connection, balance or contrast.

The use of matching grammatical structures to connect or compare ideas.

A repeated grammatical pattern that connects ideas and gives them emphasis.

Intense suspicion and fear that others threaten or intend to harm someone.

A rhyme in which the consonant sounds correspond but the vowel sounds differ, as in “wire” and “war”. It can create an unsettled, incomplete effect.

A discussion between opposing sides, usually during a conflict. At Philippi, the generals' meeting becomes an exchange of accusations rather than a negotiation.

A comic imitation that exposes or mocks the features of its subject.

Strong emotion or desire, which can include anger, romantic love, suffering or intense religious devotion.

A relationship in which a person with greater power provides care and protection in a father-like way, while retaining authority over those helped.

The attribution of human feelings to nature, often allowing a setting to reflect a speaker’s emotional state.

A quality that arouses pity or sympathetic sadness, often because someone seems vulnerable.

A society or system in which men hold greater authority and power than women.

Love of and loyalty to one’s country.

A person who provides support or controls access to an appointment. Lady Catherine is Mr Collins’s patron because she secured his parish appointment.

Behaviour that appears helpful or kind but assumes the other person is inferior.